To tell you that you will never face a storm would be a lie. To pretend they do not exist would only leave you open to being blindsided by their harsh reality. To tell you to hide away in shelters built around your heart; to remain steely and aloof, would only serve to cut you off from all that makes life worth it… and, the shelters never survive the biggest storms anyway. Storms are a natural part of life. They come in the form of death, disease, job loss, separations, financial collapse, and numerous other trials and tribulations found within the human experience. You can pray that a storm will never find its way to your door but they always do. I could tell you to run screaming, crying over the inevitable pain that the storm will bring, but that would only serve to weaken you and that I will not do. Instead, I will tell you to run into the storm… to embrace the winds and let them carry you. You can make them a part of you. You can love the storms and all their brutal honesty.

Head this warning… once you choose to embrace the storm you will never be able to go back to the way you were before. To do this means letting go of the limitations you have placed on yourself. It means opening yourself wide, dropping the sword and the shield, and leaving yourself vulnerable to all that comes when a storm hits. Once you stand inside the storm and survive, you realize just how strong you really are. You will come to realize that everything you allowed to hold you back no longer holds power over you. Things that seemed impossible become obtainable. Things that were once a nuisance no longer seem to matter. I know the familiar doubts that creep in with each step you take forward. I am all too familiar with the fear of being swallowed by the howling gale-force winds you see ahead. I too have found myself suddenly engulfed, drowning in oceans of tears and pain that takes my breath away. I survived and became stronger. You can as well.

The secret to withstanding life’s storms is to find your “eye”. It is there you’ll rediscover your footing. While all the world seems to be whipping around your head and you feel like the storm will never end, don’t run from the pain… walk through it, to the center, to the “eye”. Stand firm, or fall to your knees, but stay present. Let every pain, regret, despair, “what if”, and “why” whirl around you. Let the numbness go. Let the shrapnel fly by your head and tear at your flesh… let it draw blood so you can see that you are still alive. Let the wind of hopelessness threaten to steal your very breath and in that moment know that IT CAN’T TOUCH YOU! You can exist in the middle of the tempest, you can scream into the howling winds, you can dance, you can stomp your feet and curse “the powers that be”… you can do all of this and more in a giant display of “f*ck you” against the anguish that threatens to squelch the light from your soul. So long as you hold onto an ember of hope, the flame cannot be completely extinguished, no matter how hard the storm tries to put it out.

When my storm came, in the form of my daughter dying, I tried to escape it but only got more lost, more caught up in the pain and grief that seemed to exist all around me. It was only when I stopped running from the fear, and sat with my pain, that I found some semblance relief. I finally gave myself permission to grieve, and I grieved hard. I dropped the platitudes I had been clinging to and just let the grief wash over me. There was beauty to be found in that breakdown. I let myself be cracked wide open, tears poured forth in a torrent of loss, disbelief, and an unbearable ache in the very depth of my being. I cried until there was nothing left. When I could finally allow myself to feel EVERYTHING, and to be emptied of everything, Love had room to move back in. Slowly it filled the empty spaces. Like a balm washing over my wounds. I began to heal from the inside out. The storm began to quiet and I could see the other side. The eye was the scariest place I had ever dared to stand and yet I realized that it was also my sanctuary.

I will not tell you that it’s all going to be ok… You will never be the same. Time will heal some of the wounds and you will begin to feel bent rather than broken. A scar, that only you can feel, will remain. Wear it on your heart as a badge of remembrance and live your life.

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About shinestudios.ny

SHINE = Sharing Hope, Inspiration, and New Experiences.
Using a combination of mentoring (coaching), counseling, and empowerment through creative expression, I provide a safe place where people can heal and reconnect with their purpose, renew their passion for life, and create harmony between their mind, body, and Soul.
SHINE was founded by me, Tanya Tiger, on November 03, 2014. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of hands-on experience working with people of all ages and from all walks of life. I am also a writer, artist, and ordained Interfaith Minister.
My passion for mentoring and advocating was rekindled after the death of my youngest daughter in 2014, and my life was turned upside down. Creativity had always been an outlet for me and so I chose to take the indescribable pain of my loss and create something beautiful.
Love, and rekindling joy through creativity, became my mission. In honor of my two daughters, SHINE was born. SHINE is the manifestation of the Love, Hope, and Faith I hold in my heart for everyone with whom I connect.
You can find my writings here, on this blog, as well as at The Urban Howl (http://theurbanhowl.com/) and The Tattooed Buddha (thetattooedbuddha.com/).
My Etsy shop is located at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaybeesDesigns
I am also proudly partnered with Soul Journeys (http://www.journeyforlove.com/).